Microsoft to open up Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm to minors

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Xbox 360 users under the age of 18 could not access any of the social networking applications.

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So they still let kids play rated M games?
Funny, I know that there are A LOT of kids under 18 that play rated "M" games. Had to mute communications, got tired of hearing high-pitched voices swearing all the time.

"How old are you?"
"Old enough to kick your ass f*g"

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Xbox 360 users under the age of 18 could not access any of the social networking applications.

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So they still let kids play rated M games?
Funny, I know that there are A LOT of kids under 18 that play rated "M" games. Had to mute communications, got tired of hearing high-pitched voices swearing all the time.

"How old are you?"
"Old enough to kick your ass f*g"

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Don't wanna sound like a dick but Games rated M are 17+ not 18+

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Xbox 360 users under the age of 18 could not access any of the social networking applications.

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So they still let kids play rated M games?
Funny, I know that there are A LOT of kids under 18 that play rated "M" games. Had to mute communications, got tired of hearing high-pitched voices swearing all the time.

"How old are you?"
"Old enough to kick your ass f*g"

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Don't wanna sound like a dick but Games rated M are 17+ not 18+

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Amazingly, this is in the U.S.!!!

"M" rated video games are not a leading cause of child abduction...social networking sites are. I still can't figure out why anyone would want to upload a bunch of pictures of themselves to a website...the world is full of sickos, and most of them have the internet.

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Xbox 360 users under the age of 18 could not access any of the social networking applications.

---

So they still let kids play rated M games?
Funny, I know that there are A LOT of kids under 18 that play rated "M" games. Had to mute communications, got tired of hearing high-pitched voices swearing all the time.

"How old are you?"
"Old enough to kick your ass f*g"

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Don't wanna sound like a dick but Games rated M are 17+ not 18+

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It depends on where you live, in Australia games rated M are 15+.

On topic:
Does anybody else not see the point of "social networking" sites? I mean spending your day on the internet isn't really being social.

Originally posted by chris4160:

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Does anybody else not see the point of "social networking" sites? I mean spending your day on the internet isn't really being social.

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Nope, if there's a point it's lost on me. It's a pointless complete waste of time, but i guess that's the point :)

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Originally posted by chris4160:

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Does anybody else not see the point of "social networking" sites? I mean spending your day on the internet isn't really being social.

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Nope, if there's a point it's lost on me. It's a pointless complete waste of time, but i guess that's the point :)

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Well, to be mature about the subject, I belong to facebook and it's a good way to catch up with friends whom you havent seen or heard from in years. I found high school friends on there i havent talked to in quite a while, and i even found a girl i knew since 2nd grade. It's a great way to communicate with people you lost touch with.

Originally posted by Jscarp73:

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Well, to be mature about the subject....<snip>

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Well i never, i didn't realise mine or Chris's comments ie points of view on this subject were 'immature'. :)

Maybe i should have clarified why i describe 'social networking' sites as pointless. This is simply due to the massive over-importance attributed to this new wave of 'social networking'. I think of it all as Instant Messaging gone mad ie Instant Messaging, whilst it serves a valid and useful purpose, is often (mis)used by the masses in order to fritter away time, i guess it's mainly the younger generation but i appreciate that there's a chunk of the older generation out there who discover computers, then discover how easy it is to meet and chat to people, etc etc etc. It's like online gambling (for instance), it serves a purpose until used improperly ie it becomes like an addiction. Hopefully my analogy makes sense.

Take forums for instance, it's not that different i guess; forums serve obvious, useful purposes, but people often take it all too seriously, they get 'angry' on the internet, it becomes a substitute for real life/real things in life, that's my other analogy.
As parents we limit the time our kids time on instant messaging (not too rigidly, just sensibly) purely as it's unhealthy if kids aren't brought up to respect the use of such things, they become almost brainwashed if over-exposed to such things, it's like them being allowed to ab(use) time spent on games consoles/mobile phones/use of alcohol. Not sure if this is coming across sufficiently on screen but i know what i mean :), too many of today's kids are brought up without a respect for such things and if allowed to run riot with such activities the kids do not turn out well-enough adjusted. I may have grown up before the internet, but as someone who has been a techie for over 20 years, i am far from oblivious to technology, thought i'd add that before swarms of kids join the thread calling me a wierdo or oddball.

/parent over and out.

honestly i thought you only had to be 16 to start a facebook page not 18 as my neice is on facebook and has been since she was 15.if your old enough to play grand theft auto and listen to rappers singing about killing people and raping chicks then you should be able to make a facebook page and if you have the right privacy setting on facebook people you dont know shouldnt be able to view your page or look at your photos.

Originally posted by xboxdvl2:

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if your old enough to listen to rappers singing about killing people and raping chicks then you should be able to make a facebook page

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I dont listen to that crap.

Originally posted by xboxdvl2:

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if you have the right privacy setting on facebook people you dont know shouldnt be able to view your page or look at your photos.

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yeah thats kind of obvious

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Originally posted by chris4160:
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Does anybody else not see the point of "social networking" sites? I mean spending your day on the internet isn't really being social.
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if your anything like me you will chat to overseas relatives and i consider that being social.Its not like you can pick up the phone and spend 2hours on the phone talking to 5 different relatives overseas that would cost a fortune.

I check my facebook account once every 2-3 days. I find it useful to catch up with 15 of my long distance friends. I find that a phone call once every couple of months (or longer) doesn't have the same personal feel as random chatting about everyday occurrences. My privacy settings are set and I've had no issues with it.

Every tool gets abused. And this parent here's ya Creaky!

Originally posted by emugamer:

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Every tool gets abused. And this parent here's ya Creaky!

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I guess i'm a little jaded as i grew up before today's throwaway/never stop chatting society (hark at Father Time here!). But fair play if people do indeed use such sites/functionality for keeping in touch with friends and relatives, it's the spammy, addictive people i refer to. I just prefer other methods to keep in touch but i hear those of you who use it as a proper way of communicating.

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Maybe i should have clarified why i describe 'social networking' sites as pointless... <snip>

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Over/mis-used is not the same as pointless... There is definitely a 'point' to social networking sites as a few people here have described. A person's inability to use these sites for their purpose is simply a bad use of the tool, not a bad/pointless tool. Don't get me wrong, I completely agree with you in that people are sometimes nuts with these sites (my step-mother is a perfect example).

Other than the use of keeping in contact with those afar or those you've lost touch with in the past, the group/event feature of say facebook is a great utility. Being able to organize an event, invite people to it, and have everyone invited be able to make comments/contributions to the event in one centralized location is a GREAT feature.

Just because YOU don't like it or the way it's used by some (not by all), doesn't mean the entire thing is a waste of time.

guys, reality check. Any age can join facebook. Last time I checked there were loads of 12-13 year old girls on facebook. I had friends that age on there. I de-activated my account though in february 2009 because I had enough of that sh1t.Facebook is stressfull and retarded. Not only that who gives a crap if your friends are ''using the toilet right now'' And honestly if they are your freinds so much, then go see them, and do social things with them in REAL LIFE, not on some lame retarded social network called Facebook where any Jackass can update his pathetic status every 2 seconds...Like I said, I got real sick a that sh1t.

I'm never planning to go back on facebook. I stick to the old ways now, MSN 7.5 with ''run in windows 2000 compatibility mode'', I roll ol skoo again. Its better, and plus yeah its true that i have msn 9.0 on my laptop but hell, i hate it, and the layout is sh1t.
:)

The other thing is why wouldn't the kid just put in an older D.O.B and bypass all this nonsense in the first place but hey maybe Microsoft is trying to show that they do care about their young consumers welfare.

Originally posted by bam431:

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Don't wanna sound like a dick but Games rated M are 17+ not 18+

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Yes, sorry, give or take a year.

Originally posted by KillerBug:

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"M" rated video games are not a leading cause of child abduction...social networking sites are. I still can't figure out why anyone would want to upload a bunch of pictures of themselves to a website...the world is full of sickos, and most of them have the internet.

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I agree 100%. People that use sites like Facebook/Twitter are just asking for it. Espicially when posting "fake smiles" pictures of themselves and their friends/family, and constantly updating their "status" for everyone to see. "I'm eating lunch now", "I'm going to the mall", "Having hockey practice now, be back in one hour, can reach me at 555-5555". Or how about those "smiles" where everyone's mouth is WIDE OPEN, like they're going to catch something in their mouths.

And I also agree with chris4160, they should really change the name "Social Networking Site".

I deleted my Facebook account a few years ago at the end of Grade 12, it was a complete time waster, and I admit, I was spending way too much time on it. If I want to socialize with my friends I call them up and we get out of the house and do something, instead of sitting behind a computer and reading comments off of peoples "walls" and pretending were actually socializing. I don't mind IM's like MSN Messenger, even though I hardly ever use it anyways, but sites like Facebook and Twitter just bring "socializing" down to a completely new low.